Monthly Archives: April 2014

Most people assume that all penguins are black and white, but this isn’t the case. There have been multiple rare occasions where there has been a mutation in penguin DNA that has created rare type of penguins.

All Black Penguin: Photographer Andrew Evans captured the photo of the all black mutant penguin. It was found on the Sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. The rare penguin’s color is because of a mutation in its pigmentation. Usually, when a birds pigmentation fails they will usually have some spots of white, so the fact that this penguin has no white spots is shocking. Dr. Allan Baker ,professor of Environmental and Evolutionary Studies at the University of Toronto, noted that the penguin was “bizzare and can’t even believe it.”

All White Penguin: David Stephens, a naturalist on the board of Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Explorer ship, got a photo of the rare all white penguin in Antarctica. Its color is due to a lack of pigmentation in its feathers. The bright white color is a downside when diving for fish because normally the black color camouflages them. Even though the penguins have a mutated color, they have no problem finding mates and continue to breed.

Yellow-Eyed Penguin: Rare yellow-eyed penguins were spotted on Curio Bay, New Zealand. They are called Hoiho and were given this name because of the yellow band that lines their head and their eye color. These penguins are one of the rarest species of penguin, there are only 5000 of them currently and they are a protected bird.

Galapagos Penguin: This type of penguin is the rarest type of all penguins. It is the only penguin that lives North of the Equator in thewild. It is also the second smallest penguin species, its average height and weight being 19inx5.5lbs. They look like the typical penguin, a black/gray upper half and a whitest stomach.

These are only a few of the rare types of penguins that there are in the world. These four penguins prove that people who assume that penguins have a boring black and white look are wrong. Penguins are more than simple black and white creatures.

Penguins have been waddling the red carpet for many years. From documentaries to family films penguins have been a popular feature on the big screen. Even when the film isn’t focused on penguins they always seem to shine.

Happy Feet: Happy feet is a Warner Brothers film released in 2006, it made close to 384 million dollars worldwide.Mumble, the main character of Happy Feet, is a penguin that was born without the ability to sing but with the ability to dance. So life becomes hard for Mumble when it’s time to find his soul mate, because he’s unable to sing his heartsong.

Penguins of Madagascar: Madagascar was a movie released in 2005 by DreamWorks Animations, it made close to 532 million dollars worldwide. Even though the penguins were not the focus of the film they still had their moments when they shined, one of the most memorable scenes in Madagascar was when the penguins told Marty the Zebra, he didn’t see anything.

Picture of Penguins of Madagascar

From left to right: Private,Rico, Skipper, Kowalski

Mr. Poppers Penguins: Mr. Poppers Penguins is a comedy film released in 2011, it made 187 million dollars worldwide. This movie is about a businessman whose life changes after inheriting a crate of 6 “annoying” penguins from his deceased father.

March of the Penguins: March of the Penguins is a National Geographic documentary film, it was released in 2005 and made close to 127 million dollars. This movie focuses on the lives of Emperor penguins in Antarctica. The movie journeys through their life and shows the struggles of starvation and its impact on reproduction.

Some movies featuring penguins are more popular than others, but still are enjoyable. It doesn’t matter whether the penguin is the star of the film or just waddled in and off of the screen. Penguins will stay on the screen, and in our hearts, for generations to come.

Reproduction is a factor of life, so it’s no shock that penguins mate to produce their adorable waddling chicks. Penguins breed in large colonies which make them very sociable. Female penguins lay the egg, most of them lay two eggs but larger penguins like the emperor penguin only lay one.

How do they choose their mate? The female penguin will typically choose who they mate with. The male penguin will try to impress the female in hopes of getting chosen by cleaning themselves, building nests, and using mating calls. Once penguins have found their mate, they form a monogamous relationship and will only mate with that penguin.

Penguin choosing mate

When do penguins mate? Penguins are matured to mate between the ages of 3 and 8. They usually have specific mating periods but some species of penguins mate up to 3 times a year producing offspring usually 2 of those times. When food is scarce penguins will stop reproduction for awhile in fear of not being able to care for the offspring.

How does the chick hatch? Both parents of the egg have a role in its hatching. They will typically “hold” the egg during the incubation period which can last between 30 to 64 days. Many eggs are abandoned in this state because the partner fails to return to the egg and the other is unaware. Once the penguin is ready to hatch it can take several days for the chick to emerge from the egg.

Penguin holding egg.

Caring for the offspring: Even if more than one egg was hatched, only one of the offspring will survive because the parents will devote all their attention to one of the chicks. Sometimes the offspring will die, and if it does female penguins will often attempt to steal another penguins chicks. They usually fail because of penguins of the colony will attack her. In return if a chick is abandoned a mother penguin who lost her egg will typically take care of it.

Learning about penguins breeding can make the penguin lover realize how harsh penguins can really be. They give selfish love to only one of their chicks and can be criminals if theirs die. Even with the harsh reality of breeding facts,in the end the product is great. A world filled with the adorable waddling bird.